This invention relates to a dispensing unit for dispensing a beverage, such as a syrup or the like, and in particular, to supplying of the beverage from a storing unit towards a controlling unit.
Various dispensing units of the above type are already known. For example, a dispensing unit which is used as a post-mixed beverage dispenser, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,493,441 and 4,688,701 issued to Jason K. Sedam et al and assigned to The Coca-Cola Company. The dispensing unit, which dispenses a beverage stored in a bottle, comprises a body, a controlling unit, and a receiving unit.
The bottle has an outlet portion formed by an opening at the bottom thereof for discharging the beverage. The body of the dispension unit defines a beverage path which conducts the beverage. The receiving unit is for receiving the outlet portion of the bottle thereon so that the beverage path communicates with the bottle through the opening of the outlet portion thereof Therefore, the beverage can be discharged from the bottle through the opening of the outlet portion thereof to the beverage path. The controlling unit is coupled to the beverage path to control dispensation of the beverage.
It is advantageous that the beverage dispenser can be placed in a limited space because an external form of the beverage dispenser may be compact. However, it is difficult to always dispense the beverage at a constant dispensing rate each time the controlling unit of the beverage dispenser is operated by a user. In other words, the beverage has a flow rate which is variable dependent on the an amount of the beverage remaining in the bottle. This is because discharging of the beverage is only carried out by the gravity of the beverage in the bottle.